Morganville Vampires Baby Girl
by Merisca
Summary: The baby is born and Shane and Claire are overwhelmed of happiness. Everything seems perfect but one tiny little thing... They're still stuck in Morganville and Amelie isn't fond of Shane and Claires happy little family. I don't own anything! The first chapter is written by: which-fandom-shall-i-choose The rest is made by me.
1. Chapter 1

The first two chapters are written by: which-fandom-shall-i-choose

The white lights above her were blinding, and the heat in the room was intense. She was tired, and it had barely begun.

''Now Claire. When you next feel a contraction, I need you to give me a hard push.'' The nurse standing at the bottom of my bed informed her. She felt a wave of pain engulf her as her contraction arrived. She pushed, hard, squeezing Shane's had so tight she was afraid it would break. She stopped pushing, panting hard.

''You're doing great Claire. Keep going, you'll be fine.'' Shane's voice whispered while his breath tickled her in the ear. It had been going on for over an hour now, and she had no idea how she had managed to stay awake that long. Eve had popped in and out, checking on her and going back into the hall to tell Michael. She hadn't wanted Michael to be there. She was embarrassed about Shane being there as well, but they had insisted, so she couldn't really stop them. Pain washed over her again. She pushed, hard. The pain died down a bit, and when she looked up, the nurse was smiling. She gently placed her baby in her arms. A beautiful little girl. It wasn't until she tasted salt that she realised she was crying. She looked so perfect. After Shane had cut the cord, she passed her over. He held her gently, head down whispering to her. He gave her back, tears welling in his eyes.

''I'll go get Eve.'' He said and disappeared out into the hall. Moments later, Eve appeared at the side of her bed, grinning like mad. She had layed off most of the Goth make-up today, with just a pale face and raccoon eyes. She hopped up and down madly.

''Boy or girl? What's its name? How heavy is it?'' She rambled.

''Eve!'' she said loudly, getting her to shut up. '' Its a little girl. Shane and I still haven't come to a decision on a name, and they haven't weighed her yet.''

''Can I hold her?'' Eve asked quietly, smiling. Claire held out her baby, and Eve took her with expert care. She started rocking her back and forth. Like a real mother. ''So, what have you considered for a name?''

''Well, we thought about these first: Amanda and Johanna and Crystal then some new ones like Zoe and Isabella''

''Johanna is to mainstream. Isabella is too sweet, you don't want her with a girly name if she turns out like me.'' Eve said with a wink.'' So it's between Amanda, Crystal and Zoe''

''Well, I'll talk with Shane, and let you know.'' Claire felt bad for Eve. She was getting all excited over her baby, knowing she was never going to be able to hold or name her own.

''Eve. Can I ask you something?''

''Sure thing Claire Bear.''

''Does it ever bother you knowing that you can't have children with Michael?'' Eves face clouded over for a minute and a small frown formed.

''Sometimes yeah. But I suppose I will just have to spoil little one here rotten!'' She was glad that Eve didn't seem too down about it. ''So, my turn now. How much did it hurt?'' The question threw her a little bit.

''Um, not a lot, then a lot, then a heck of a lot, then not a lot. It's kinda hard to explain.'' The door opened and Michaels blonde head appeared.

''Are you done gossiping, or am I still not allowed in?'' He grinned and stepped over the threshold. ''So, how you feeling?''

''Seriously? I just gave birth, I haven't eaten in like 3 days and I feel like I could sleep for a week! How do you think I'm felling?''

''Just as feisty as normal then.'' Michael smiled. ''Eve, we better leave them. It's been a hard day for Claire, and Shane for that matter.'' she was confused. All Shane had to do was stand there and tell her she was doing fine. Michael saw the confusion flicker in her eyes. '' You broke 3 of his fingers. Think he might have deserved it as well.'' She instantly felt bad for that. How on earth had she managed to break 3 fingers? She didn't even have enough strength to last 5 seconds in an arm wrestling match against Eve! Eve handed over the baby girl and then lent over and hugged her.. Michael kissed her and the baby on the cheek and left. The room was quiet for 5 or so minutes. Baby G started to whimper which led to a full blown cry. Claire had no idea what she wanted. She seemed hungry, so she gave her a feed then she fell asleep on her chest. Another 10 minutes passed, with only the visit from the nurse to weigh Baby G. Shane finally returned, fingers bandaged up. He smiled and sank into the chair next to my bed. He looked tired. Like really tired.

''Sleep. You look like you need it.'' She told him, which was normally his line.

''Probably not as bad as you do.'' He stood up and gently took Baby G from her and placed her in the cot at the foot of my bed. He placed a gently kiss on her forehead and made he way back to her. He sat down on the edge of her duvet and placed his arm round her.

''Big day huh? It feels so weird thinking we are parents. So, have you narrowed down the names?''

''Me and Eve got down to Zoe, Crystal or Amanda'

''Wow, tough choice. I think Crystal is more of a middle name for her.''

''I guess, so Crystal is going to be her second name. I think I like Zoe.''

''Zoe Crystal Collins or Danvers?'' It was a tough choice.

''Zoe Crystal Danvers. Zoey Crystal Collins.'' she said trying them both out. ''Zoe Crystal Collins.'' she said, confirming her choice. Shane looked proud to have his last name chosen, not hers.

''It's perfect. Just like you.'' He said, placing a delicate kiss on her lips.

''You're turning sappy, you know that?'' She told him, grinning. Shane shook his head.

''I know. You must be rubbing off on me. Now sleep. You deserve it.'' she rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She swiftly drifted off into a world of warmth and darkness.

She woke up at around 10 in the morning. Eve sat in the chair where Shane should have been, cradling Zoe.

''Morning sunshine! Good sleep?'' Eve said cheerily.

''Hey. Not bad I guess. Where's Shane?''

''Went home to shower and change his clothes. He looked rough.'' Eve stood up and passed Zoe to her. She nestled into her chest, her head rising and falling in time with my breathing. ''So, what's her name?''

''Zoe. Zoe Crystal Collins.'' The name still sounded as perfect as it did yesterday.

''Awww! So cute! Are you sure about using Collins instead of Danvers? You did all the work after all.''

''Collins sounds better. Is Michael here?''

''Na. He dropped me off then went home. Hospitals creep him out. Especially with all the, you know, blood.''

''Fair enough. So, how's Zoe's favourite aunty?'' She knew she would be happy about being an aunty. Eve grinned from ear to ear, her black lipstick was a huge contrast with her pearly white teeth. She had on her usual array of Gothic clothing. A red satin top with skulls embroidered along the hem, a black knee length skirt with pink gems round the edge and big black platform boots.

''Never better. May I?'' She gestured to Zoe, then picked her up. ''Surely you want to stretch your legs? How long have you been laying down? 2 days?'' Now she mentioned it Claire could feel all the muscles in her legs shrink.

''Pretty much. I need to get unconnected from all these machines first.''

''I'll go get the nurse.'' Eve said smiling as she slipped out the door, still holding Zoe. She returned with a nurse in tow. The nurse seemed young, maybe 25. She had dark sin and her name tag read 'Zawadi'.

''Hello Claire. How are you doing today then?''

''Hi. Not too bad, maybe a little bit stiff.''

''Well, that's why I'm here. Now, let me just run a blood pressure test, and we'll get you back on your feet.'' Zawadi busied herself by wrapping a black band round Claire's forearm and reading the digits which appeared. ''well, that seems to be in order. Now, lets get you unhooked.'' This took a while, as Claire was hooked up to about 5 different machines. She swung her legs off the bed.

''Damn, that feels good. Eve, you wanna give me a hand?'' Eve gave Zoe to Zawadi, then grabbed Claire's hand and helped to pull her up, off the bed. Claire stumbled a little, but quickly regained her balance. Zawadi handed Zoe back over to her and left the room.

''If you need anything, just yell.'' She said as she slipped out the door.

''Man, it feels good to be up. My legs seriously feel like cardboard.'' Eve smiled.

''Get dressed CB, then we can go down to the café and grab a coffee and something to eat. I'll call Michael and Shane. When you getting out of here anyway?''

''In about 2 hours or so. We have to find a place to live.''

''You have one. Our house.''

''I wonder how long that's going to last. I give her a week before she starts crying, and that's going to annoy the hell out of you, at there is so much stuff to have, and then Shane and I are going to be up and walking around at some really bad hours. So, we need our own place.'' Eve stood there, quiet for a moment.

''I see your point. Well, stay, just for a week until we find you a nice place. Have you got the crib and everything?''

''Yeah, it's all flat-packed in my room.'' she said and placed Zoe in the crib.

''I'll get Michael to start putting it together instead of coming here then. He might as well make himself useful. This is the closest he is going to get to having children.'' Eve said with a wink as she whipped out her mobile.

''___Hey Michael. You know all the baby stuff in Claire's room? Can you start putting it all together and rearranging it?'' _Eve paused for a minute whilst Michael spoke. ''___Thanks. You're a star. Send Shane down here as well. Thanks. See you later. Love you.'' _Eve hung up and turned back to Claire. ''Fab. Lets go.''

''Wait. What are we going to do with Zoe? We can't take her with us, and we can't just leave her here, alone.''

''Good point. Well, lets wait until Shane gets here, and he can stay up here with her. We can start packing up your clothes until he gets here.'' Claire had the minimum amount of clothes with her, and the majority of things were baby clothes. Curtsey of Eve of course. Packing took 10 minutes. Shane pushed open the door just as the girls had finished putting the clothes in the suitcase.

''Wonderful timing Shane. Wow, that's something I never thought I'd say.'' Claire said as she crossed the room to kiss him.

''Love you too Claire.''

''I know.''

''Please.'' Eve said. ''Shane, Claire and I are going down to get some coffee. You are going to stay here and watch Zoe whilst we go.''

''Is that all you wanted me for? I could be at home playing Zombie Slayer 3 right now.'' Shane said in a whining voice.

''Wow. What a great father you will be.'' Claire said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

''Joking! Geeze Claire.''

''You are not going to be playing video games whilst looking after Zoe. It takes two to tango buddy. Now, We will see you later.'' Claire said and slipped out the door before Shane could shoot some witty retort back. Eve looked at Shane.

''Busted buddy. And by the way, you do that, I will break your X-Box. Not joking.'' Eve exclaimed and pranced out the door, humming to herself.

Claire and Eve returned to the room an hour later. They were laughing, walking arm in arm. Shane was laying on the bed, Zoe asleep on his chest. Shane was staring up at the ceiling, lost in his own world.

''Yo, lazy, get up. We're leaving!'' Eve said a little to loudly. Zoe began to whimper, which led to a full blown cry.

''Well done Eve. Give her here.'' Claire said, lifting Zoe off of Shane. She disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes, then returned, Zoe napping quietly in her arms. ''Lets go. I need to get home and eat some real food.'' Eve opened the door and Claire walked out, carrying Zoe, whilst Shame followed with the suitcases. Zawadi was on the front desk. She stood up, walked over to Claire and gave her a hug.

''Good luck. If you have any worries or questions, you know where I am.'' She kissed Zoe on the forehead and went back to the desk. Claire smiled at here and walked out into the Morganville sun.

''Lets go home then.'' Shane said, smiling down at her. They all piled into Eves hearse and drove down the roads before they pulled up in front of the glass house. The three of them walked up the path until they made it to the cool shade of the porch. The door was unlocked, and as it swung open. Claire walked into the living room where she found Michael sitting on the armchair. Michael stood up when Eve ran to him to give him a kiss. He catched here in his arms and hugged her. Shane carefully scooped Zoe out of my arms and looked down at her. «She's adorable», Claire whispered and touched the cute little face. «What can I say... She got it from her mother», he said and kissed Zoes forehead and Claires cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

_Shane _

I woke up when Zoe started crying. She was in Claires room, where I also slept. I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed. I walked to the baby bed. «Aw, don't cry, sweetie. Daddy is her», I said and smiled down at her while scooping her gently up in my arms. She made a gurgel noise with her mouth and stopped crying. She opened her eyes and looked up at me. I poked her nose gently and looked back at her with soft eyes. Her eyes were green, just like Claires. I took a look at the clock. It was 5 a.m in a saturday morning. I yawned and laid Zoe back in her crib, but as soon as I turned around, she started crying again. I sighed and scooped her up and kissed her forehead. «You not tired, angel?», I asked and smiled. It wasn't possible to not smile when I looked down at her. She just looked up at me as if I was a totally dumbass for asking. I rolled my eyes at her but I still smiled. «Fine, then», I said and laid her down in the crib while I got my pants on. She started wailing again before I got to put on a tshirt, so I just scooped her fastly up. Claire was still asleep and I didn't want Zoe to wake her up. I walked downstairs with her and went into the kitchen. I seriously needed a cup of coffe now. I found a bottle of the special milk that we'd been given to feed Zoe with, and put it in the micro. Everything was harder when I held Zoe in one arm and had to do everything with the other one with broken fingers. I got my coffee and the milk bottle and headed to the living room. I sat down in the coach and smiled down at my baby. It was weird to think that I actually was a father. «You have to be the cutest thing ever», I whispered before I got the bottle and started feeding her with it just like me and Claire had learnt at the hospital. I started humming a melody quietly to make her fall asleep. «Wow, you sing too Shane? I didn't know», Eve said and came down the stairs while yawning dramatically. «Shut up, Eve. What you doing up so early?», I asked dryly. «What are YOU doing up... Nevermind. Baby. Get it. Now hand her over, will you?», she said and walked to me and put her hands out to grab her. «Careful! My baby, not yours», I said and moved her a little away. Eve rolled her eyes at me. «Fine. May I _please _hold her?», Eve asked and looked at me with her hands on her hips. «No», I said and moved the empty milk bottle away. Eve walked away and into the kitchen. It was almost 6 a.m now. I turned on the TV and leant back in the coach. Eve came out with two cups of coffee. «Gee, thanks Barista. Is it for me?», I asked. «No, it's for the baby», she said saracstically and rolled her eyes. «I've got an early position at Common Grounds btw, and P.S mister, get on a shirt and some socks.» I rolled my eyes and took a sip of the warm coffee. The second cup this morning. Eve went off to work and I was there alone with Zoe and the TV. I was tired, but awake.

Zoey silently fell asleep after in my arms after an hour. She made small noises every now and then. I became bored after a while and turned off the TV. If only someone could wake up, I thought to myself and rolled my eyes. It was almost 7 o'clock and Michael used to get up around these times. I laid Zoe down on the coach and went quickly upstairs to grab a tshirt. I bumped into Michael on my way. «Sorry», I mumbled. «Morning», he yawned and went into the bathroom. I got my tshirt and went downstairs while trying to get it on. Zoe was still asleep and she literally looked like an angel. If someone told me four years ago that I would get a beautiful girlfriend, a better life and a baby girl, I would have laughed at them and left. My life seemt perfect right now, and there were nothing I wanted to change about it. Well, maybe one thing, and that would be to get out of Morganville. I scooped her up and held her in my arms. My beautiful baby. I touched her cute little face with my fingertips and she touched my arm with her little hand. «You've seen Eve? She was gone when I woke up», Michael said with a sleepy voice. «Yeh, she went to Common Grounds», I answered and yawned. «Kay... But bro, how long have you been awake? You look like a dead man», Michael cracked and laughed a little. I looked down at Zoe for a second. «Since 5 a.m or something», I mumbled and scratched the back of my head. «I'll go get some juice», Michael said and went to the kitchen. He didn't really mean juice. More like blood. I grossed out everytime I thought of my best bud drinking someones blood. Zoe wrapped her hand around my indexfinger and squeezed it slightly. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

_Claire_

When Claire woke up she turned around to give Shane a kiss, but she kissed the air. He wasn't there. She looked over at the crib and expected to see Zoe, but she wasn't there either. She took a look at the clock, it was only 7:10 a.m, and it wasn't like Shane to get up so early. She got out of bed and almost tripped in Shanes shoes. She picked up a pair of jeans and a top. It was a long time since she had wore jeans and a nice top. The big stomache had forced her to wear weird shaped dresses and sweatpants all the time. It felt amazing to move swiftly around again without worrying for her stomach. She went down stairs and saw Shane talking with Michael. He had Zoe in his arms and he looked like a proper dad. «Good morning guys», she said with a cheery voice. Shane looked at her and smiled. «Good morning, beautiful», he said and waved her closer. She went to sit next to him in the coach and Shane handed Zoe over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He was just as handsome as ever and when he kissed her cheek, the butterflies flew around in her stomach as always. «Aw, hi sweetie», she said and looked down at Zoe who slowly opened her eyes. «Morning, I've got some work to do at the music store. I'll be back around 5p.m, tell Eve, would you?», Michael said in a sleepy voice. He had a serious case of bed head too, but he managed to look great even then. «Yeh, bye Mikey», she said and waved to him while he walked out of the room. «Bye», he said and went outside. It was still dark, so he didn't have to worry about the sun.

«Sooo... What are we doing today?», Shane asked with a flirty voice. «Changing dipers», I said with a flirtier voice as if changing dipers were the most romantic thing on earth. He laughed a little and kissed her lightly. «Have I told you that I love you, lately?», he whispered in her ear. «Only a few hundred times», she said and kissed his cheek and then his lips. He still tasted good and she laid one hand behind his head to play with his hair. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead gently. She looked up at his face and poked his nose. «You're going to be a great dad», she said and hugged him. She still held Zoe in her arms. «We're going to be the most frickin' awesome parents ever», he said and grinned while looking at her.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAP 3

_**Shane**_

Claire kissed me again, but it was a short kiss, cause' her phone rang. I grabbed the phone and saw Myrnins number and those silly bunnyslippers. I sighed and handed her the phone. She looked at it and answered. I took Zoe out of her arms carefully and she wrapped her little hand around my finger again. «No, Myrnin! I won't come to your lab. I still have my months off to watch Zoe!», she spit the words at him. I took her hand and squeezed it a little before I took the phone. «Hello? Hello? Claire?», Myrnin asked confused. «It's Shane. Claire won't be at work the next 5 months and you know it. Actually, she should have gotten a year off, but we all agreed 5 months at the end. Now shut up and go feed your spider or something», I said and declined. «Shane!», Claire complained. «Problem solved, you should thank me, not yell at me», I shrugged. She sighed and looked down at her feet. «Shane?», she asked quietly. I became a little worried, since she looked so serious and scared. «How are we going to raise her? None of us earns much money, and we live in a town surrounded by vampires», she said quietly. I pulled her closer and put my arm around her. She rested her head on my chest and I leant back on the coach. «We'll teach her how to deal and how to survive, and if she's anything like you and me, she'll make it. If she's not, we're going to protect her», I said and looked at the turned off tv. We were silent for a while. We could only hear Zoes whistling breath and our own breaths. «My parents are coming to visit us in three weeks», she said and cuddled closer. «Yey! Parents who hate me», I said, still looking at the TV. «Shane Collins! Don't be like that. I know my dad isn't that fond of you...», she started with an angry voice. «Not fond? Underestimatent of the year! That dude would kill me if he got his chance», I blurted and looked down at her. She pulled away. «They haven't seen me for almost a year now, Shane. I haven't seen them either, and it kills me. You know that I miss them. Stop being so selfish! Just be nice, and they'll accept you. Not that they have a choice, now that we have Zoe», she said. I looked away. I wasn't being selfish! At least she_had_ parents. She must have read my face expression cause she lifted her hand and placed it gently on my cheek. «I'm sorry, sweetie», she said and looked at me. I didn't dare to meet her eyes. «I hate fighting with you, can't we just forget this happened and go back to the peaceful silence?», she asked and took my hand in hers. «Are your parents staying at the Glass house or the city motel?», I asked and looked down. «Here. It's way safer than the city Motel. You know they don't remember that it's a vamptown, right?», she said and looked down at Zoe. «Yes, I know», I sighed and let Zoe play with one of my fingers. «They said they wanted to stay a while», Claire continued quietly. «Well, that's... Great», I said trying to sound happy. She handed Zoe to me and went into the kitchen. «Claire! Where are you going? You mad at me?», I shouted confused. «To the kitchen to make a sandwich. And yes, Shane. Yes I'm mad at you», she said. Oh God... An angry Claire was an unhappy Shane. Zoe put my finger up to her face with weak moves. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. «You okay, little one?», I whispered with a soft voice. She made a gurgle voice, and opened her eyes slightly. «Mommy and daddy aren't fighting», I said even softer. For the record, I said it more to convince myself than her.

Claire came back a few minutes later with two sandwiches and two cokes. I suddenly noticed how packish was! It was almost 9a.m now. She took one sandwich and tucked into it. I took the other one and started taking big bites.

«Why are you mad at me?», I asked with my mouth full of food. She shot me the «You knoe what I feel», look that girls loves to send guys. I didn't have the slightest idea what she felt nor meant, but if I admitted it, she would probably get angry for that too. Girls.

_**Zoe**_

When I opened my eyes, I always saw these two people. I didn't know what to call them or who they were, but they seemed... Safe. They gave me food and what I wanted, but I couldn't communicate with them. Sometimes I fell asleep and when I woke up I was somewhere else, but they were still there. The man had a nice soothing voice and he was funny. He let me hold his finger, and that was nice. The woman was pretty and she always looked at me with eyes full of love. She also let me play with her fingers, but she had some sharp things on her fingertips and it hurt sometimes. I liked them. They seemed kind and safe to be around and they made me relax when they held me. They had nice voices too, but it hurt when they raise. I didn't like shouting, that was why I started crying. When I cried, they stopped, and that was nice. Crying was a good soloution. Sometimes, when I opened my eyes, I didn't see them. I felt scared when I didn't see them. When I cried, someone came to pick me up, and that was nice. Very nice.

_**Shane (A month later)**_

Zoe had slept the whole night, which felt amazing. We hadn't moved out of the Glass House yet, and that was okay with me. Everyone were tired, though. Michael had complained about Zoes crying way too many times. Claire would apologize and I would just get mad at him and tell him to shut up. I opened my eyes slightly and saw Claire cuddled up next to me while burying her face in my chest, she also had a palm on my abs. She was smiling and looking like an adorable living angel. I kissed her forehead and touched her cheek lightly. She didn't wake up, and that was good. None of us had gotten a whole night asleep since Zoe was born. I took a quick look at the clock. 10.30 a.m. Unbelieavable. I got out of bed carefully and went to check on Zoe. She was laying there, not moving. Oh God... Oh no, no! I panicked, was she dead? There were no movement, and she made no noises. I felt the urge to scream, but nothing came out. I was frozen. «Sweetie, what is it?», Claire asked with a sleepy voice. She was standing behind me, in her underwear. «I, I... She doesn't move, Claire!», I cried and pointed at Zoe. I didn't dare to check the pulse, cause I was so afraid. I totally chickened out and tears were threatening to fall down my eyes. Claire lifted her hands shivering to check if there was a pulse. She hesitated and her eyes were wild. Finally she touched our daughters neck. She took a deep breath and hugged me. I was confused and scared to death. Was my daughter dead? «Oh God, Shane! You scared the crap outta' me! She's fine, she's just in deep sleep», Claire whispered with a shivering voice. I pulled back quickly and checked Zoes pulse again. It was strong and steady. I wrapped my arms around Claire again and she wiped a tear from my face. «Shane, relax... Shhh, babes. Calm down, she's okay», Claire whispered soothingly in my ear. I hugged her tighter. I did calm down after a few seconds. Zoe started making some noises to get our attention. «Aw, good morning, angel», Claire said and scooped her up from the crib. She still had those greenblue eyes and she had som small brown hairs at the top of her head. Still beautiful. Claire handed her over to me after nuzzeling her nose against Zoes. I smiled and held her gently placed next to my chest. «Gooshigoo», I said with a babyvoice, cause that always made her smile. Her smile was beautiful and amazingly cute. She had no teeth yet, which made it even cuter. I kissed her forhead and poked her nose. She reached to put her hand on my chest right above my heart. I didn't know why, but she seemed to like listening to peoples heartbeats. She did the same thing to Michael, Claire and Eve too. Even to Claires parents who'd been staying at the Glass House for almost a week now. Surprisingly, Mr. Danvers hadn't killed me yet. He'd shot me some ugly looks every now and then, and he _was _pretty rude, but I could deal. Everyone loved Zoe, and I was amazingly proud of calling her my baby. Claire put a hand on my shoulder and tried to kiss my cheek. I turned my head around in time to make it a real kiss on the lips. Someone knocked on the door and it forced me to let go of Claire. I realized I was standing there in my boxer, with bare chest. I grabbed a pair of pants and a lightblue hoodie. «Who's there?», me and Claire asked at the same time. I shot her a quick smile. «It's me», Mr. Danvers said. I sighed. He didn't like the fact that I was sleeping in the same bed, no strike that, the same _house _as Claire. «Oh, hi dad. Could you wait a minute? We're getting dressed», Claire said and blushed a little. I practically heard Mr. Danvers rolling his eyes angrily. «Be quick», he said with a voice dripping of coldness. Claire sighed and put on a white singlet and jeans. I scooped up Zoe, who was now laying on Claires bed, and went downstairs with Claire. She ran her fingers quickly through my hair to fix it and I kissed her cheek lightly.

Michael was sitting in his chair while tuning his guitar while Mrs. Danvers was knitting a babysweater for Zoe. Mr. Danvers was reading the newspaper with his glasses on his nosetip. He was scary as hell. «Good morning», Mrs. Danvers said lightly and looked up at us. «Good morning», I said and nodded at her. «Morning, mom», Claire said and went to sit in the chair next to Mrs. Danvers. I gave Zoe to Claire and went to the kitchen. Claires dad followed me. I opened the fridge and found an apple. «Mr. Collins», her dad said. I yelped, cause I hadn't noticed he was there. «Geeze, you scared me!», I said while trying to play it cool. «Half my point», he said with a cold voice. I swallowed hard and tried to laugh a little, but it faded fast. «How old are you, Shane?», he asked and sat down with the table. «21, Sir», I answered and stood there awkwardly. «You're aware that Claire is 20 years, right? Have a seat, Collins», he demanded. «Yes, sir. I am», I answered and did as he had said. «Don't you think you two are too young to have a child together?», he asked calmly. «Well, not really, Sir. And even if I did, it wouldn't have mattered now anyway. I love Claire and my daughter», I said with a shivering voice. I met Mr. Danvers' cold eyes, but fastly looked away. «I swear, if you leave or hurt my daughter...», he started. «I won't», I interrupted fastly. «I would never do anything mean to Claire», I said. I took my apple and went out to the living room. Claire shot me a concerned look and Michael raised his eyebrow at me, but I ignored him. He went back to play a soothing melody on his guitar.

I sat down next to Claire and put my arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Danvers looked up from the knitting and smiled at us. I looked down at Zoe who was smiling her toothless little smile. I let her play with my fingers while I was talking to Claire. «Didn't you want to go to the mall, mum?», Claire asked and looked over my shoulder to see her. «Oh, well. It would be nice. I could need a new dress for tonight», she mentoined. I looked at Claire with a confused look. «You see, mom and dad thought it would be fun if the four of us went out dancing...», Claire said with a pitchy voice. Fuck. I couldn't dance! Not for a billion dollars, not for anything, and Claire _knew it_. And so does her dad, a little voice in my head reminded me. «What about Zoe?», I brought in and swallowed hard. «Me and Eve will watch her», Michael said and grinned. He enjoyed this way too much. I shot him a dirty look and looked back at Claire with a begging one. «Come on, sweetie... It will be fun?», Claire tried and put a hand on my chest. I looked away. The only times I'd been dancing, was when me and Claire had been all alone in the dark watching bad musicals. Maybe at a party a few times, but that didn't count! I felt Zoeys tiny hand around my pinkie and I smiled down at her quickly. «Claire, I can't dance», I whispered fiercly and panicked in her ear. «You're actually not a bad dancer, Shane», Claire said with a raised eyebrow. I sighed.

Mrs. Danvers bought a long purple elegant dress that fit her perfectly. Claire bought a sexy black dress that _I_ liked very much. (The dress: tag/little-black-dress/ ) They went with Eve and Mr. Danvers to shop, and me and Michael stayed home with Zoe. I was a little worried when I thought of Zoe staying alone with Michael and Eve for the whole night, even though I trusted them. The baby would start crying when she didn't see me or Claire, she always did that. She liked both Eve and Michael, so there was a chance that she would just drift off to sleep wihout whailing. When Claire and company came home, we just had to change.


	4. Chapter 4

_Shane_

Michael borrowed me one of his suits that Eve had bought for him and it fit okay, I guess. I looked more like a lost penguin than a man. I sighed when I looked at myself in the mirror. «Did you set this up, Mikey?», I asked. Michael just grinned like a mad man and nodded. «Geeze, Michael! What the fuck were you thinking? You know I suck at dancing», I muttered and looked at him with angry eyes. «Believe it or not, you're actually not a bad dancer. You're not amazing, not at all...», Michael replied. «But this would be your opportunity to show her parents that you're... Well, how do I say this... Show them that you have elegancy», he continued with an exclaiming and hestitating voice. «Elegance. Michael, really? I'm a fighter not a dancer», I disagreed. How could he do this to me? This was the worst prank ever. I sat down at the edge of his bed and put my head in my hands and sighed. «Bro, man up! Just let Claire take the lead or something, you can do this», he said and threw a pen at me. I catched it in the air and threw it back. I stood up an walked downstairs.

Claire stood there, beautiful as always and she was laughing while talking with her mum and dad. I walked to her and hugged her from behind. I kissed the top of her head and she turned around to kiss me. I kissed her fast and sweet, a little embarrassed because of her parents. Her dad glared at me with an angry face expression. «We should go», he muttered. I nodded and grabbed the car keys. We were going to a nice garden party held by one of my mums old friends. Michael had probably found the invitations and showed them to Claires parents. That bastard... I was surely going to make my chili with garlic after this shit. We got into the car with Mrs. Danvers and Claire in the back. «Shouldn't we be walking instead? It's a nice evening...», Mrs. Danvers started to say. «No», me and Claire interrupted at the same time. Walking in this town at nighttime was as dangerous as it could be. I started the car and turned on the radio and there was a dirty song playing, so I changed channel until I found the news. We drove in silence until something ran infront of the car. I slammed the breaks. Claire screamed and Mrs. and Mr. Danvers yelped. «Young man, where did you learn to drive?», Mr. Danvers screamt at me. I blinked slowly. «I'm sorry... I thought I saw something», I mumbled confused. It was sunset and the sky was pink, orange and blue with yellow skies. «Are you girls okay?», Mr. Danvers asked with a worried voice and turned his head around to check on them. «Yes, dad...», Claire stammered. I turned my head around fastly to check on her. «EYES ON THE ROAD», Mr. Danvers shouted. I had control, I really had, but I always yelped when people yelled at me when I drove so I slammed the breaks again. «Stop the car, we're switching places, Mr. Collins», Mr. Danvers said. «Dad! Shane isn't a bad chauffeur, it isn't his fault that he thought he saw something and it was deffinitely not his fault that you _yelled_ at him», Claire whined. I started to drive slowly and there was no noise but the radio for about 3 minutes. I parked the car and helped Claire get out. She was truly beautiful. Eve had helped her with make up and the dress was amazingly sexy. She also had some feminine high heels that she handeled very well. I hadn't been out with Claire in like, forever, so this was a real treat for us both. I offered her my arm and she took it and smiled up at me. I smiled back and kissed her cheek. The garden party had started and people were dancing. There was about a fifty people there now, not too many. I saw Amelie looking at us. Her eyes locked with mine for a second and it was clear that she wanted us out. I was about to tell Claire, but a girl I'd dated for about 4 years ago found me and dragged me aside. It was the girl I went out bowling with right before I met Claire. Her name was Laura. Fuck.

She ran her hands down my chest. «Oh Shane Collins, is that you? You said you would call, but you never...», she began. Claire looked at me with anger in her eyes. I pushed Laura away. «Uh, Laura... _How nice to see you_», I mumbled and tried to walk past her but she blocked my way. Fuck. «Why didn't you call? I waited for months», she hissed and met my eyes. I had Claires and her her parents attention now. Nice. I sighed. «Laura, it's almost five years ago. You're a nice girl, and I'm sure someone will appericiate you someday... But that guy isn't going to be me. I've got a family», I said. I added the last part after taking a deep breath. This was not helping me out with Claires dad. She grabbed my collarbone and kissed me. I pushed her away fastly. Claire got in the middle of us. «Get the HELL of my man», she shrieked. Laura slapped my face, hard, and left with her chin way too high. «Ouch», I mumbled and put my palm where she slapped me. I was not being like Jack in pirates of the Carribian where he actually _deserved_ the slaps, cause I didn't. Claire put her palm on my face gently and raised to her tip toes to kiss my nose. «That was like five years ago, it was before I met you...», I began but she just put a finger over my lips. «Shh, sweetie. I know», she said and smiled warmly at me. «Aaaaw, that's so cute», I heard a known voice say. It was Monica Morell, queen bitch of Morganville. Fuck. I took a quick look at Mr. Danvers who raised his eyebrow at me in a «Explain this», way. «What do you want?», I sighed and scratched my forehead. «Oh, well... I wanted to know if you still remember us making out in a school locker in tenth grade», she said and pretended to be thinking. «Mr. Collins, have you dated every girl at this party, or does it just look like it?», Mr. Danvers asked and walked to stand beside Monica, so he could se my face. «I think you got it right, Mr. Danvers», Monica smiled and looked innocently at Mrs. And Mr. Danvers. «Oh, isn't this your friend, Monica?», Mrs. Danvers asked and looked at Claire. I could tell by her voice that she tried to lift the mood. «Collins, you seem quiet», Mr. Danvers said, ignoring his wife completely. I wanted to say «No, I've just been shitty unlucky with the guests we've met till now», but I didn't. «Sir, I really don't know what to say. Of course, I took some girls out before I met Claire, but after I met her, I've never as much as looked at another girl», I said and looked him right in the eye. Claire looked up at me and smiled proudly. I looked back at her and answered her smile with a kiss on the forehead. Monica rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. «Shane, don't play family man. One day you'll get bored and go back to your player condition», she said and shashayed away. I hated when she shashayed. Claire fastened her grip around my arm and tried to smile at me. She was insecure and afraid that it was true. I would never leave her or Zoe. I kissed her cheek fast and smiled sadly back. «I won't get bored», I mouthed. «I know», she mouthed back and smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

The evening passed slowly. I had to dance with Claires mum once, and some other strange girl who hooked up with me, but most time I stayed with Claire. After a few hours, we decided to call it night and drive home. Me and Claire hadn't been drinking at all, but Claires parents had drunk some glasses of wine. I drove carefully home. After the drive I helped Claire out of the car and we all headed inside. The door wasn't locked. Claire and I hurried inside. I grabbed a stake and pushed Claire behind me. «Shh», I whispered and we tiptoed to take a look inside. Eve was standing in the corner of the living room with Zoe. Michael was standing there while flashing fangs at someone... Claire and I entered the room quickly. My baby girl was in danger, and the rage I felt was overwhelming. I leaped forward and threw the stake in my hand at the vampires neck. He hissed and fell down to his knees. Claire ran to Eve and Zoe and I kicked down the vampire while Michael broke his fangs off. «Kill him», I hissed through my teeth. My voice was shivering of anger now. Michael nodded and grabbed a silver stake and borred inside the chest of the vampire. I would have done it myself, but it wasn't allowed for a human to kill a vamp. His chest burned and he hissed, but he fastly became silent and fell down to ashes. I realized Claires parents were standing there with their mouths wide open, staring at us. Nothing really mattered though. I stood up and went to check if Zoe was hurt. She bled a little from her forehead, but there wasn't anything we couldn't fix. When she opened her eyes, she started crying. I took her carefully out of Claires arms and fell down to my knees with her in my arms. «Shh, we're here», I whispered and wiped some blood away from her forehead with my finger. Claire was crying and I put my other arm around her as she sat down beside me. Zoe stopped whailing and we held her together.

«Exuse me, but what the hell is going on?», Mr. Danvers asked confused. «Nothing», Eve said and acted like she didn't understand a thing. «You two should go to bed, you're pretty drunk...», Michael tried. He was a good actor too. Me and Claire stood up and nodded at them. «Rough night», Claire said and smiled at them. Her parents shrugged and went into the guest room. Once they were out of the room, Eve and Michael came to sit next to us. «Is she okay?», Michael asked with a shivering voice. Eve looked ashamed and tears were running down her cheeks. «Yes», Claire whispered. «The hell happened?», I asked with a sharp voice. Michael hugged Eve who was sobbing uncontrollably while burrying her head in his chest. «The vampire got inside, and he tried to take Zoe... I was upstairs when I heard Eve scream», Michael said quietly. «I had just gotten downstairs when you guys came», he continued. Amelie. She had hated the thought of me and Claire having a baby from the start, but it wasn't illegeal... Not even in Morganville. I fastened my grip around Claire and she looked up at me with confused eyes. «It was her! She set this up», I said with a cold and upset voice. Claire put a hand on my shoulder. «Who? Sweetie, calm down. Breathe», she said softly. The anger was overwhelming and I tmust have been red like a tomato «I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna stake her to death», I whispered. I stood up and headed for the door. Michael took a vampire speed jump and stopped me. «Out of my way, fangboy», I hissed. He flashed fangs at me. «Don't do something you'll regret, buddy», he said. Claire was on her feet and she handed Zoe to Eve. «Get away from me», I shouted at him. Claire walked to stand beside Michael. «Both of you, calm down», she shouted at us. I yelped and took a step back. She closed the distance between us immediately. «Shane, I know you're scared and angry, but you have to act like a grown-up», she said and looked at me. Nothing made sense anymore. It was all a blur... I heard Zoe cry in the background but Claire had locked her eyes with mine and she didn't let go. We didn't touch or anything, we just stood there, facing eachother. I saw the sadness in her eyes. I realized that I looked at her with cold and angry eyes. I softned my look fast. She put a hand on my chest. «Shane, are you calm?», she asked with a soft voice. I nodded. «I'm sorry...», I began. «I know you are, but that doesn't make this okay. If this is going to work, you need to learn to handle your temper», she said with clear words. «Amelie set this up», I cried. She softned her look and put a palm on my face. «She didn't, Myrnin did», she said and looked up at me.

«Myrnin? Why?», I asked confused. She looked away with a sad face expression. «He probably thought that if he killed Zoe, I would get back at work.», she said quietly. «How do you know for sure? I mean, it sounds like Myrnin logic, but...», I started. «It was one of Myrnins experiment vamps», Claire interrupted. God, I hated Myrnin. He was a wicked old stupid scientist who liked to use Claire. He was also kinda in love with her, which made me even more pissed at him. «Can't that dude just get a life?», I hissed. This hurt Claire, and it was obvious. She always thought there was something good in everybody, and that was a nice thing. I mean, if she didn't think that way, I would never have been able to call her my girlfriend.


	5. Chapter 5

_Claire_

Claire hated when Shane was like this. She loved him, of course, but sometimes he was just... Angry. He was better now than before, though. She looked up at him and saw his soft, beautiful eyes look at her with more concern than anger. He touched her cheek gently and told her with every breath how sorry he was for what had happened. She couldn't believe Myrnin had done this, it was beyond everything she though he might ever do! Shane wrapped his arms around her and she began to cry. They were never going to have a normal life. Amelie, Myrnin and Oliver, the three most dangerous vampires in Morganville, were all out to kill Zoe. Their beautiful little baby girl who had never done anything wrong. Shane seemed to know what she was thinking, and he buried his face into her hair. «Shhh, sweetie. Nothing is ever going to happen to Zoe», he whispered softly. «How can you be so sure? We are nothing against the vampires..», she sobbed. Shane pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. «Yes, we are. We are protecting parents», he said with a serious voice. He was right. From the second she saw Zoe for the first time, she'd known that she would do anything to protect her. She would kill or get killed for that little baby, and so would Shane. Her amazingly brave boyfriend. She smiled through the tears as she buried her face in his chest again, making a total mess of Michaels suit.

_Eve _

I changed Zoes dipers in silence. Shane and Claire were downstairs having a staringcontest or something, but they had to be done by now. Shane had been pretty pissed, and I've never seen him so angry and dangerous. Even Michael, with all that vamp-power must have thought twice before he jumping in between Shane and whatever he was going to do. Claire never thought twice about anything, though. That was probably why she and Shane were still together. They were a cute couple, really. She had never seen Shane care so much about anyone since Lyssa, but Zoe and Claire meant the world to him. I wished me and Michael could have kids... I dropped the thought and focused on Zoe who looked up at me with a recarnation of Claires green eyes. She smiled her cutey smile and I melted. «You ready for bed, little monkey?», I asked and scooped her up. She smiled like a mad baby and I giggled. She looked up at me and put her little hand in her mouth. She was drop dead gorgeous. Claire and Shane were so lucky to be her parents. I almost wanted to cry when I remembered that I wasn't going to have children, but it didn't make me jealous of Claire either. Well, maybe I was, but that was something I would never admit to myself. Being jealous of my best friend, wasn't right at all.

I walked into Claires room and laid Zoe down in her crib. «Goodnight, little cutiepie», I whispered and poked her nose before I kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

_Shane_

What an asshole. I've always known Myrnin was crazy, but this... This was evil. Trying to kill our little baby girl, just to get his crush back at work. «We'll be okay», I whispered and kissed the top of Claired head. She sniffled. «But what if we're not?», she whispered back. «I won't let anything happen to any of us. I will protect you guys with my life», I said and pulled back to look at her. She wiped her eyes and looked back at me with a face expression full of horror. «Amelie hates this, so does Oliver, and Myrnin too», she said and looked into my eyes. I could tell she was scared. Hell, I was terrified myself! What would happen to our little baby girl? Would we ever watch her grow up? I felt my tears water, but I couldn't cry, I had to stay strong. For Claire, Zoe, even for Michael and Eve. I kissed Claires forehead. «Let's get some sleep», I said and took her hand in mine. She nodded and we walked upstairs together.

When we got into Claires room, I saw Zoe tucked up and asleep in her little crib. I smiled at her and walked to the crib so I could kiss her goodnight. «Shane, don't wake her up», Claire whispered and walked up behind me to put her hand on my shoulder. I looked at my baby one more time and I sent her all of my love with that look. I guided Claire to bed and we got undressed. When I laid down, I felt how tired I really was. I cuddled Claire and we fell asleep after a great goodnight kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

_Zoe_

Why were everyone crying? The nice man that called himself daddy, was putting things in a suitcase while looking at me with sad eyes. «What's wrong? Is there something I can do?», I thought to myself. I couldn't say it out loud, cause I didn't really know how. «Dada», I gurgled and looked at him. He walked to me and scooped me up. «What was that, angel?», he asked softly, while placing his hand gently on my cheek. There was water running down his cheeks and they hit my face. «Dada», I said again.

_Shane_

My baby girl just said her first word, and I was happy I was there to hear it. Oh God, I would miss that little girl. I kissed her forehead and her cheek gently and poked her nose. My nose was burning and tears were still running down my cheeks. Only 30 minutes until I had to leave everything and everyone behind. Even my sweet little Zoe who was looking at me with confused green eyes. «I need you to take good care of your mom», I whispered and touched her little cheek gently. Maybe this was the last time I would hold her in my arms? The last time I would see Claire... I sobbed. My girlfriend, my best friends and... My little daughter that I loved more than anything in this world. I knew this had been too good to be true. A perfect life, a perfect girl, a perfect baby... After all, I was Shane Collins. If something good happened to me, life would always find a way to turn it over. I felt Claires arms hugging my side. It was only 20 minutes left of my life as I knew it. I hugged her with my other arm while holding Zoe in the other. «I love you Claire, and I'll think of you everyday...», I started, but Claire just put her finger over my lips. «I love you too», she whispered. I couldn't help crying, cause it was so terrible. I thought I'd finally gotten a life I wanted to live, a family... I remembered what I was going to do. I looked her deep in the eyes and put Zoe in her arms. I went down on one knee and got the little velvet box out of my pockets. Claire looked at me with big round eyes. «I was going to hold a speech, but we don't have that much time», I said and smiled sadly at her. «Claire Elizabeth Danvers, will you marry me?», I asked with hope in my words and glitter in my eyes.

She fell down to her knees and started sobbing. «Yes, Shane», she managed to say between her sobs. I hugged her while tears were streaming down my cheeks. I was careful not to squeeze Zoe, who Claire still held gently in her arms. I kissed Claires cheek and kept hugging her. My Claire who I probably wouldn't see again... Both me and Claire were sobbing now. Crying our hearts out because we both knew that there were no way out of this mess. But with the ring I gave her, would either be a promise that I would come back for her and Zoe, or a sad memory of what used to be... Me.

_Claire_

How could this happen to them? She could never let go of Shane, ever! He meant the world to her, and how was she going to raise Zoe alone? Oh God... Please let this be a dream, she prayed, but she already knew that this was harsh reality. Shane had his head on her shoulder and he cried too. There was 10 minutes... 10 minutes left with the love of her life, the man in her dreams... Her whole world was leaning on Shane. She stopped crying after half-a-minute and she ran her fingers through his soft dark hair. «Shane, I need you to promise me one thing», she whispered with a shivering voice. Shane looked at her, but he didn't stop crying. He scooped Zoe gently out of her arms and kissed her forehead. Then he looked at her with the sadest eyes in the world. 8 minutes left. «Promise me that you'll come back», she croaked. Shane didn't answer, he just looked at her. «I can't, you know I can't, but I will fight. I'll do everything to come back to you and Zoe», Shane admitted. She put her palm on his face gently and kissed him. He tasted good as usual, but this would maybe be they're last kiss... Last kiss, she thought to herself. She kissed him again before she had to pull back. «We'll have to go downstairs to say goodbye...», Shane said and leant his forehead against hers. She took a deep breath before she nodded. He stood up and took her hand. Zoe was still in his arms, but she was awake. «Dada», she gurgled with her cute little baby voice. Shane smiled a broken smile at her and she smiled up at him. They walked downstairs hand in hand and they saw Eve and Michael standing there, ready to say goodbye. Claire took baby Zoe out of Shanes arms when Eve hugged him. Michael and Shane bumped fists, but they hugged too after some awkward hestitating. He had 5 minutes left, and he really wanted to spend them on Zoe and her, she could tell by the way he looked at them without knowing what to say. «Claire, tell her I love her. If I don't come back, tell her that from the moment I saw her...», he started, but his voice faded. He wiped his eyes. Claire kissed him. «It's okay sweetie», she whispered, even though it wasn't.

_Eve_

Me and Michael stood there quietly. He had his arm around me and his eyes were red. Not vamp red, but teary red. We had both cried, but we understood that Shane and Claire had needed time. Shane kissed Zoe on the cheek and Claires lips before he forced himself to turn around. He looked over his shoulder when Zoe started to cry. She must have noticed that something was happening. I saw the confusion flickering in Shanes eyes, would he refuse to go? No, he couldn't do that, and he realised it. He walked out the door and we heard a car drive away. The car that was probably leading Shane to his death along with 3 other Morganville residants that we didn't know who were. Claire just stood there with an empty face expression. Me and Michael walked to her and hugged her. Tears were forming in her eyes and she went to sit down on the couch. I felt so bad for her... Why couldnæt she and Shane just have the life they wanted? They deserved it more than anyone.

Zoe was crying in her arms, and she didn't intend to stop her. She just rocked her gently back and forth while crying. «He'll be okay, Claire», Michael said quietly.

I knew he didn't believe it himself, but he wanted to.

«Aw, Claire Bear, it's Shane. You know him. He's going to live through it», I soothed and sat down next to her and hugged her.

«But what if he doesn't come back? What if he dies or gets hurt...», Claire stammered nervously.

Michael joined us on the couch.

«Claire, it's going to be some long years for you... And us, for that matter, but we'll live. We still have eachother», Michael said and tried to smile.

«But what about Shane? He doesn't have anybody!», Claire shouted at him. She stormed upstairs with Zoe whimpering in her arms. Michael looked confused and I felt like I had to explain this to him.

«Shane just left to fight as a soldier, in a war, in Afghanistan somewhere. He might die, and they didn't really get enough time to say goodbye», I exclaimed and took Michaels hand.

«I know that, I'm worried too», Michael said while looking at the wall with empty eyes. Michael and Shane had been bestfriends since they were in elementary school. I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around me and kissed my forehead gently. He was always so gentle and cute to me. I tried to smile at him, but the thought of Shane sitting in a bus right now... It was overwhelming. I couldn't even imagine how Claire felt about this, or even worse, Shane. From the way we treated eachother, it must have looked like we hated eachother, but that wasn't true. Me and Shane were friends, we just had this advanced friendship based on insulting eachother... Hard to explain, but we always were there to watch eachothers back. It was like that with Shane. He always insulted people, but often in a friendly way. He did that to everyone but Claire. He was always nice to her and it was really cute to see him care for someone that much. Since Alyssa died, he hadn't allowed anyone to see the «kind» Shane, but me and Michael always knew he was there, so it didn't really matter.


	7. Chapter 7

_Claire _

The weight of Zoe in her arms kept her from crying. She had to stay strong for her, even though it hurt. She could still contact Shane VIA letters, but it was only once a month they were allowed to write back. her parents had left early this morning in a cab, but she didn't know why. She couldn't get herself to call either, she wasn't sure she was able to speak at all. Claire stood up and put Zoe in her crib and tucked her in. It was only 5 p.m but she was tired, depressed and lonely. She could as well go to sleep. Shane should have been here now, cuddling her... He'd been gone for a few hours, but it felt like years... «Years», Claire whispered to herself. Her boyfriend was going to be out there for years. Maybe he was going to die, maybe he would come back. Amelie didn't want him back, she thought. She collected pillows and put them in Shanes spot of her bed. Then she went to find his cologne. She sprayed it over the pillows and laid down to pretend he was there. The pillows smelled like him, and it made her cry herself silently to sleep.

She woke up when Zoe started to cry.

«Shane, can you...», she mumbled sleepy. Then she remembered where her Shane was. Far away, probably in Afghanistan already. She got out of bed and went to Zoe and scooped her up. «Hey, sweetie», she said and smiled at her little baby. Zoe put her whole hand in her mouth which she used to do when she was hungry. «Okay then», Claire said and took her to the bed where she sat down and gave her a feed.

_Shane_

«You've got a sweetheart back home?», a dude asked and looked at me. We were sitting on a noisy old plane that was going to get us to Afghanistan during the night. I nodded and showed him the picture I held. It was of Claire holding Zoe.

«Pretty little thing, huh? She looks like she might break if the wind blows», the dude said and highfived with another man. They weren't from Morganville, so they didn't know my Claire. I just sighed and continued looking at the picture. I didn't have energy to put up a fight right now. It could wait...

«You saw that pic? What can he see in that girl? She has no curves, she's like a stick!», the man mumbled to the one he high fived with.

«Shut the fuck up! You have no idea what you're talking about», I snerred and looked up at them with angry eyes. I looked at the picture one more time before I put it back in the suitcase.

«You missing mommy, little boy?», the dude teased. He was a fat man with tatoos and ginger beard. He looked like one of those heavy metal fans.

«Leave me alone», I said and leant back to think about how Claire smelled and tasted... How her body fit perfectly next to mine when we cuddled, and our little Zoe. I had one of her baby clothings with me and one of Claires sweaters.

«Ha, poor little confused baby boy, huh?», the dude said again. I knew he just wanted to mock me, but I was born short-tempered. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore them. The plane was in a turbulence now, and I'd never been in a plane before, so it was scary as fuck. The guy sitting next to me, was a skinny, geeky boy who was writing in his notebook.

«Just try to ignore them. I went to middleschool with them, and they're a bunch of morons», the geeky boy mumbled. The fat guy and the muscular one were busy laughing and telling jokes about me, so they didn't hear it, luckily.

«Gee, thanks. I'm Shane by the way», I said and smiled at the boy with the glasses. I would probably be here in a while, so why not make friends?

«I'm Simon», Simon said and looked up at me. He was young, but older than me. Maybe 25 or something. He didn't look like a soldier. He was skinny and tall, with not a muscle in sight. He must have seen the confusion in my eyes, cause he just smiled and showed me the notebook page.

«I'm a logical guy. I tell people where they should go and stuff», he said and looked a little embarrassed. I looked at the strategy drawing.

«Awesome! The only thing I can brag about is that I once used a flamethrower», I said enthusastic. I said too much tough, nothing that happened in Morganville was supposed to get out of Morganville. I looked at Simon quickly to check if he looked sucpisiously at me, but he was back drawing the strategy drawing.

I sighed and leant back while trying to ignore the insulting idiots. I had my hands in the suitcase so I could touch Claires sweater. After a while I fell asleep.

_Claire_

Getting up was a nightmare. She didn't feel like doing anything but laying in the bed all day with Zoe cuddled up with her.

«I'm a grown up, I don't have to do anything but what I want», she mumbled and turned the TV on. She scooped Zoe up from her crib and went back to bed to cuddle up with blankets and pillows and a box of tissues. This was going to be a crying day, so she had to be prepared.

There was a romantic drama movie on, and it made Claire cry even more than usual, cause everytime the mainpersons kissed or touched, it reminded her of Shane. Zoe was awake and she looked at the screen with her cute little eyes. Claire was in the middle of a cry when Eve knocked on the door.

«Claire Bear, you okay?», she asked with a worried voice.

«No, go away!», Claire shouted back with a shivering, sad voice.

«I'm coming in, sweetie», Eve answered and opened the door carefully. She had bagels and cocoa with her. Claire suddenly felt bad for yelling at her. She was just trying to be nice and the food looked deliciouse. She realized that she was starving, too.

«I'm sorry, it's just...», Claire started, but her words faded.

«It's okay. You're having a hard time. Just know that we're here for you», Eve said and placed the food on the table next to Claires bed.

«How bad do I look?», Claire asked to light the mood. She even tried to smile a little, which she thought she nailed. Eve smiled back, a little, and acted like she was thinking.

«Not too bad, but you remind me of a zombie», Eve answered. Claire laughed and felt happy that Eve had came in. She suddenly remembered where Shane was, and she instantly felt bad for smiling at all. Eve seemed to read the expression on her face and came to sit next to her in the bed.

«Claire, don't act like all hope is gone. He's still out there, and it's dangerous, but he's Shane Collins, right?», Eve said and hugged her. Claire hugged back, but she had to be careful, cause Zoe was napping in her arms.

«He is», Claire nodded and looked down at Zoe. Was she ever going to see her dad again? She stroke her daughter gently over the forehead and smiled down at her.

«He'll be okay Claire, We'll pray...», Eve said quietly.

«I can't remember the last time god helped us out», Claire answered with a small voice.

«Me neither, but it won't hurt», Eve replied and made her self comfortable in the bed. She smelled at the pillows that Claire had sprayed with Shanes cologne last night.

«It helped me fall asleep», Claire said to her self defence. Eve just looked at the pillow before she slowly pushed it away. Claire sighed and unpaused the movie while taking a sip from the hot cocoa. The movie was playing and no one said a word.

She must have fallen asleep, cause when she woke up, Eve was gone and Zoe was tucked in while sleeping quietly in her crib. She didn't feel like getting up, so she just went back to sleep, hoping she wouldn't have nightmares about what could happen to Shane.


	8. Chapter 8

_Shane_

When I woke up, we were there. Simon had bumped my shoulder to make me wake up before the oberst came. Everyone had been given uniforms that we should wear and many people were changing already. I decided to do the same, so I stripped off my tshirt and pulled the soldiershirt over my head.

«Ey, loook! Mommyboy's awake», the same fat dude yelled and pointed at me while laughing his ass off of his stupid joke. I just wanted to yell that my mum and sister died in a fire when I was a kid, but I didn't. The old Shane would have beaten them up, but I wasn't like that anymore. At least, I tried not to be. I had changed for Claire and Zoe, and it was better this way. I took a deep breath and everyone got out of the millitary plane. There was a big fortress where we were going to stay for 24 hours before we should march 18 miles to a new fortress.

Everyone got into the fortress and they closed the gate. I looked around, and it was messy. Messy and dirty with hospital beds with hurt people in... There were women too, not just men. One of the ladies walked infront of us and introduced herself as the headleader of this base. She was american and her name was Ms. Roberts. She held a roll call, and it reminded me of school, back in the days.

«Shane Collins», Ms. Roberts called.

«Yep», I answered and she went on. I realized that the fat guy was named Riley Jonathan and his little nodhead was Thomas Seran Hellingber. Stupid names, I thought to myself and grinned.

«You can all handle weapons?», Ms. Roberts asked. Most of the guys just grinned and said yes, including me. There was a girl in our troup too. Her name was Amanda Blue, and she had brown hair with a little curls and the same outfit as me, and everyone else, of course.

«You're gonna fight, and lots of you will die or get hurt. Follow me, you'll get to show the team what you got», Ms. Roberts said with a strict millitary voice. We all obeyed and followed her in silence.

We walked into a room that reminded me of the Hunger Games room where they showed the judges what they could do. Claire had gotten me to watch it with her... Oh God, what wouldn't I have done to get back to my sweet Claire? I sighed when I thought of her. I missed her already, and we had been apart for less than 48 hours. I guess it was the thought of not being able to see her.

«Collins!», Ms. Robert screamed and woke me up from my daydream about Claire. I yelped and I heard Riley and Thomas laughing their mocking laughter.

«Your turn», she said and looked at me with cold eyes. I swallowed hard and picket up a knife and a shotgun.

«Yeah, okay, I'm first. Now what?», I asked and looked around. Ms. Roberts put a big doll with full armour infront of me.

«Start over there, and get past the doll. Rip it open or shot it to death», Ms. Roberts said. I checked if the knife was of silver, which it obviously wasn't, because this wasn't Morganville. I walked 10 metres away and threw the knife. It hit the middle of the dolls chest. I heard someone gasping and then clapping, but I wasn't done yet. I took some elegant leaps forward and a roll on the floor and fired four times at the doll. I had been through much shit in my life, which had included weapons, vamps and humans. I didn't really think of this as a challenge. My first bullet had hit the dolls foot, and would have made a real person fall. The second and third in the chest and the fourth in the head. Just where I wanted them to hit. It was a lucky shot, so I didn't fool myself thinking I was an extreme talent.

Everyone clapped but Riley and Thomas. They didn't look impressed at all.

«Shut up, everyone can fire at a doll», Riley said and grinned at Amanda. She just rolled her eyes ar him and looked back at me. Oh crap, she was looking at me. Probably no big deal, but no one should be looking at me. I had Claire. But no one knew, did they?

«Exellent, Collins», Ms. Roberts said and joined the others clapping. I made a bow gesture and went back in the line. Amanda came to stand next to me.

«You're pretty good at this fighting stuff, where did you learn it?», she asked. She was really close, so I took a step back.

«Uh, I dunno. Probably just something I picked up...», I mumbled and looked away so I didn't have to meet her eyes.

«No chit chatting! Next, Riley Jonathan», Ms. Roberts announced. Riley stepped up and got a crossbow and a machine gun. He walked to the start and started firing, in both the dolls and my direction. Fuck. I pushed Amanda down and Simon who was standing beside me before I went to my knees and covered my head. None of the bullets had hit, but Ms. Roberts had kicked the gun out of Rileys hands.

«He didn't deserve better! I bet he is a murderer, he should be sent away», Riley screamt and pointed at me. I couldn't agree more. I was a murderer, and I should be sent home. Well, I wasn't a murderer who killed people without a reason... Well I rarely killed people, just vamps.

«Enough. Riley Jonathan, you're not getting any food or water for 24 hours», Ms. Roberts said just shrugged and went back in line.

People I didn't know who were did some simple tricks and shooting. Then it was Simon who stood there for several minutes trying to figure out which angle was the best for the shooting of the doll.

«Just fucking shoot the doll!», Ms. Roberts complained angrily. Simon took one shoot that made the doll fall. It hit it right in the middle of the heart. It was a nice shot, but he would have gotten killed if the doll wanted to shoot him too.

Then there was Amanda. She picked up a gun and went to the start. She shot the doll once in the legs before she leaped forward in an impressive speed and did some awesome karate kicks at the doll. Everyone clapped, cause it was cool. The karate moves looked swiftly and the shot would have been good enough to make a real enemy drop their weapon and scream in pain.

None of the others were exeptionally good, just me and Amanda. Thomas was great too, but he wasn't as good as me, even how selfish that would have sounded, it was true.

«Okay, people! Go get some sleep. We're marching tomorrow at dawn», Ms. Roberts said. Everyone started walking to the group roomes. There was 8 big man rooms that roomed about 50 people and 3 girl roomes just as big. I was about to get into group room 6 when Amanda stopped me.

«You were great today», she said and looked at me. She had pretty blue eyes, but they couldn't even be compared to Claires beautiful green ones. I smiled friendly at her.

«Thanks, you too. Those karate moves were pretty badass», I said. She blushed a little.

«Uhm... Thanks, I guess. Night», she said and smiled at me. I walked into the group room and took a sleeping bag. There were about 5 bunkbeds, but all of them were taken. It was okay, cause the sheets were probably soaking with blood and sweat. I took the suitcase and the sleeping bag to a free spot and settled down. I made myself comfortable in the sleeping bag and made sure no one could nick my suitcase with Claires sweater and picture in. Claire and Zoes picture was the most valuable thing I had with me. Not that I would ever forget how they looked, Zoes weight in my arms nor Claires sweet kisses, but it made me feel closer to them. My beautiful Claire and my incredible baby girl looked up at me and it almost made me cry. Oh God, I missed them so much. I would do anything to be back with them and live happily ever after.

_Author note: Thanks for all the reviews! I really appericiate them and it's fun to see people enjoying my stories! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Claire_

She hadn't done too much since Shane had left, but she didn't have to, so it was okay. She'd watched Zoe and played with her, watched the news and cried. She didn't cried no longer, though. It was like she couldn't cry anymore... Every night, she sat down in the living room to watch the news with Michael and Eve. Sometimes Eve couldn't make it, because of Common Grounds, but she always watched them. There weren't alot of the Afghanistan news, but sometimes there was something. She had this weird hope, that maybe Shane would get on the screen, that's whys he recorded every night. Her Shane... She acted like a lovesick little girl, which she felt like. She also felt like a whiny threeyearold, but she didn't care at all. Her boyfriend was in a war, and she was scared to death.

_Michael_

«When are you going to get over with this? You don't do anything but laying in your bed, watching the news and crying. You don't even care for Zoe anymore!», Eve complained. Claire sat in the coach staring at a turned off Tvscreen. There had been some terrible news tonight. 10 american soldiers had been killed, and no one knew who they were, but it was the same town as Shane was in. We knew, because we had recieved a letter earlier this week where Shane told us he was fine and that things were going great. I think he would have said the last part anyway, cause he wanted Claire to stay calm. If he only how her heart was constantly beating faster than normal... She was tense and I could hear her pulse when she worried.

«Hellooo?», Eve asked and waved her hands in front of her. Claire put her head in her hands and started crying.

«Eve, cut the girl some slack!», I shouted frustrated. I regretted the shouting instantly.

«So, you wanna watch the baby and do all the housework, Michael? Life. Goes. Fucking. On! I miss Shane too, but we can't go on like this!», Eve screamed. Claire sobbed uncontrollably. Eve was right. Claire was being irresponsible, but she had the rights to be, hadn't she?

«Shane might be dead right now, and all you care about is that Claire doesn't do her part of the house cleaning?», I yelled and stood up.

«Michael, shut the fuck up! You should be defending me now! I'm your girlfriend, remember?», Eve shouted.

«Yeah, because you're always right, aren't you?», I replied dryly.

Eve just looked at me with so much anger and sadness in her eyes that I wished I could take everything I said back. She didn't cry or say anything, she just looked at me.

«Eve... I'm... I'm sorry», I mumbled and looked at her with soft eyes. I loved her, and I never meant to hurt her, but we were all under alot of pressure right now. The three of us were having a hard time accepting that Shane was in a danger that we couldn't help him survive. Especially Claire.

«Please don't fight», Claire stammered and looked at us while wiping her eyes. She looked tired and pale.

«Don't come here telling me you and Shane didn't ever fight», Eve said sharply. Claire just looked away.

«Eve!», I complained. She just looked at me like she didn't know me anymore.

«We can't go on like this!», Eve yelled angrily.

«Do we have a choice? I hate this! It's terrible, and I can't go for a minute without thinking of my best friend fighting for his life in a war that I can not help him in!», I screamt. I felt tears in my eyes, but I blinked them away fastly.

«We always have a choice, Michael! We have to live like normal, then it's going to be easier to accept that he's gone», Eve said.

Then I realized it. It wasn't Eve who was talking, it was her fear and panick. She thought that Shane was gone, she wasn't angry because Claire didn't do the dishes or the laundry. I walked to give her a hug. In the second I put my arms around her, she started crying. I kissed her forehead and stroke my hands over her back soothingly.

«Shhhh, it's okay», I whispered and pulled a few inches away so I could look at her.

«We have to live like normal. We can't go on like this», she sobbed, and now... Now I knew exactly what she meant, and she was dead right.

_Claire_

6 months had passed and the Glass House residents had agreed to try live like normal, even though Shane wasn't there. They didn't know if he was dead or alive, which made it harder, but they tried at least. Shane wouldn't have wanted her to be sad, she reminded herself this everyday. It was about 8 months since he had left, and she missed him, but life had to go on. She knew that, deep inside.

She was thinking about Shane and how his arms had felt around her when they cuddled before they went to sleep. How he'd helped her through the pregnancy and how he'd proposed before he had to leave. She still wore the ring he'd given her and she took a look at it. She knew it was weird, but it felt like Shane held her hand everytime she looked at the ring. Zoe was now three months old, and she said a few words. «Nana», for mom and «Dada», for dad. «Mikki», was for Michael and «Ivv», was for Eve. Even though her dad wasn't there to be called at, she still called for him. It was weird, cause a normal baby wouldn't have remembered someone she met 7 months ago, but she did. It was probably because of the pictures that Claire had hanged on her walls. She even had his schoolpicture where he was a tenyear old.

«Nana!», she heard Zoe gurgel. She got out of bed and went to pick her up.

«Hi, sweetie», she said and scooped Zoe up and kissed her forehead. Her beautiful little baby girl.

«Claire! Come on down! It's news», Eve said and knocked on the door at least a hundred times.

«Oh, I'm coming!», I answered and put on a tshirt and a pair of jeans and went down with Zoe on my hip.

Michael was already sitting there and watching patiently. They were showing the people who had died the last month. There were about thirty people.

«Oh my God», Claire whispered to herself and went to watch too. They were at the 28th person and that meant that Shane could still be dead. The ninth one was named Timon Dawson and he had been a soldier in Afghanistan for 5 years. Claire didn't really care, she just wanted to know if Shane was alive. She knew it sounded harsh, but it was sadly true. The tenth one was named Calvin Biederer. Claire wanted to cry out in relief, and she did. She had been so scared and it did look like he was dead, cause' they hadn't recieved any letters for 4 months.


	10. Chapter 10

_Shane_

Two weeks ago there had been a car explosion about 13 metres away from me, and about ten people had died. I wasn't sure whom, but I knew that I had known them.

The sun was burning hot and the horizont were nothing but sand, stones and dirt. The three of us knew that we could get attacked every minute, but we kept walking. We weere about 30 people now, because 10 had died. Unfortunatly, Riley and Thomas were still alive, so I had to listen to their mindless babble all the way. Amanda and Simon were still alive, and that was great, cause I looked at them as friends now.

«There's a 50/50 chance that we'll never reach the base. We'll either get attacked or dehydrate», Simon thought highly.

«Shut up, Simon», Amanda said and rolled her eyes nervously.

«Be nice. Even if we get attacked, we'll have eachother to watch our backs», I said and looked around. Everyone were looking nervously around like they expected a dragon to magically jump infront of them.

«I feel safe knowing you're watching mine», Amanda said to me and smiled while batting her eyelids. I tried to smile back, but I wasn't sure if she flirted with me or not. She had been flirting awfully, but I tried to act like I didn't notice. I had Claire, and I would never cheat on her.

Simon rolled his eyes dramatically. He had a crush on Amanda, but she didn't know, even though it looked obivious to me. I would not get involved, cause I wasn't here to create drama. I was put here to fight, and I had promised Claire to come back. The fioncee ring was the promise, but I don't think she understood that.

«How's team looser?», I heard Thomas shout. I hated that guy!

«I don't know, why don't you ask Riley?», Amanda shouted back and gave him the finger. I grinned and looked at the flabbergasted Riley and Thomas.

I heard a shot, then a scream, and then another shot. I shared a look with Simon while we dragged up our weapons and tried to find the enemy.

«Shane! To the left», I heard Amanda shouting.

I turned and looked at a person aiming at me. I managed to jump aside before the bullet hit a stone behind me. Amanda shot the person in the chest and he fell to his knees and then forward. I got up and started firing at the enemies. Someone had cars, and they tried to drive over people in our troup.

«Collins! Help me!», I heard Riley scream. He was in a car and someone had tied his hands together on his back. I really didn't want to help him, and no way in hell he deserved it, but no one deserved to be taken away as hostages either.

«Fuck this... Watch my back, Am», I said while loading my gun.

_Amanda_

I heard Shane yell that I had to watch his back. I saw him make a run for it... No, he was running after the car with Riley in. No way in hell!? Was he going to save that asshat? Anyways, he'd asked me to help, and that meant I would.

I shot two times at the decks of the car and it punctured. Shane mad a leap forward and managed to shoot the chauffeur and one of his assistants. There were still 3 people in the car that had to be killed or hurt, so I ran to help him.

«Shane! Hold on, I'm coming», I screamt and ran as fast as I could. The car was only a few metres away when Shane fell. I heard him scream in pain and I shot the enemy who had shot him.

«Simon! HELP!», I cried out and Simon, who had been right behind me shot the last one standing of the enemies. We ran over to Shane who had been shot in his foot. Right under the knee. He was bleeding badly, but the attackers had droven away and that gave us time to help him.

«Oh no, what do we do?», I sobbed and looked at Simon.

«Ah, hell it hurts», Shane gritted between his teeth and looked away from his foot. Simon took his foot and pulled his pants (the foot) up to his knee, so he could take the bullet out.

Survivors had gathered around us and someone tried to help. Shane cried out in pain a few times, and it broke my heart seeing him in pain.

«We have to go! We need to be at the base», I heard Riley complain. Someone had cutten the ropes around his hands.

«We have to help Shane!», I said and looked at him with angry eyes.

«No, he'll just slow us down», Riley whined and looked at the rest of the troup who slowly nodded at him. He was right but...

«He saved your fucking life, Riley! Now shut up!», Simon screamed at him.

«No, Riley is right. He'll slow us down, and increase the odds of being attacked again», a man said and looked at his feet. I looked at Shane and saw panick flickering in his eyes. He was afraid of us leaving him, even though he probably knew it was the right thing. People started putting blankets over the 4 dead bodies from our troup and then they began to walk away.

«No! Don't leave! We need help», Simon shouted, but no one turned around. They knew that staying with us, would be dangerous. If someone attacked us, we would die. Small amount of people against troups of enemies.

«Please don't leave me here... I promised my girlfriend to come back», Shane said and a tear rolled down his cheek. I knew he had a girlfriend, but it still broke my heart a little.

«I'm sorry, Shane, but there's no way we'll survive if...», Simon started. He was sure as hell not going to finish that sentence.

«You're not sorry, cause we'll stay. Leaving Shane behind is not an option, coward!», I shouted at Simon who looked fastly away.

«If you want to leave, just go. I'm coming after, even if I have to crawl», Shane said and took a bandage from his pocket and started wrapping it around his foot.

«None of us are leaving», I said and put his arm around my shoulder and helped him to stand up.

«Thanks...», Shane mumbled and he smiled his wonderful smile at me. I smiled back and I could almost feel the shining in my eyes.

«Simon, give me a hand», I said. Simon let Shane lean on him and the we started to walk slowly with Shane limping in the middle.

_Eve_

I woke up and felt Michaels arms around me. I turned around to look at him. He was so gorgeous and handsome that I just wanted to kiss him, but he was so cute when he slept, so I didn't want to wake him up. He must have noticed I was awake, cause he opened his eyes a little and mumbled something with a sleepy voice that was incredibly sexy.

«Morning, handsome», I whispered and kissed his lips softly. He kissed me back and touched my cheek.

«Good morning, beautiful», he replied. I loved when he called me beautiful, and it made butterflies take over my stomach. I kissed him again to tell him how much I appericiated it. He smiled while kissing me back. He tasted good. Like I imaged a mix of sunshine and happiness would taste. I played with his soft, curly blonde hair while looking him in the eyes. They were blue and innocent, not the slightest bit red.

«Don't do that», Michael murmured and looked away.

«Do what?», I asked confused and touched his cheek gently.

«Looking me in the eyes to check if they're red. I'm not going to eat you», he said with a sad voice and looked at me again.

«Oh...», I said and looked fastly away. I hadn't meant to do that. I trusted him, but sometimes my instincts took over, even though I loved him.

«It's okay», he said and kissed my forehead. I loved feeling his arms around me cause it made me feel safe.

_Shane_

We fell down exhausted in the sand. We had no idea where to go, we'd just followed the footprints that were about to wash out by the wind. I felt so bad, cause this was all my fault. I should have let them leave, but instead, I begged them to stay. How selfish was it possible to be?

«You okay?», I asked them. They just looked at me and nodded slightly while breathing hard. It was dark, and we silently agreed to have a break. I opened my backpack and found water. We had about 5 litres with us, which weren't that much, but we had to deal. I gave the bottle to Amanda first, who handed it to Simon after taking a big sip. Simon handed it to me after drinking.

«You should put some water on the wound», Simon said and pointed at my foot. It hurt and burned, and it would probably feel amazing to put some water on it and clean it, but I couldn't.

«No. We need the water. We'll die if I waste it on my foot», I said and tried to ignore the burning pain.

«You'll die if that thing gets infected», Amanda replied dryly. She found a cup from her backpack and handed it to me. She filled it with water and pointed at my wound. I swallowed hard and took off the bandage. I carefully dripped a little water on it and it felt amazingly good.

«Let me help you with that», Amanda said and found a first aid box and started to clean my knee without wasting too much water. The pain died a little and I sighed in relief.

«Thanks», I mumbled a little embarrassed. She smiled without looking up at me as she tucked a new bandage around my foot.

«No problem», she replied and met my eyes for a second before she looked away and blushed.

«Better get going», Simon said fastly and stood up. They helped me get on my feet and I hopped while leaning on them. We started to walk slowly while trying to navigate by looking at the faded footprints in the sand.

After about 10 hours walking, we finally reached the new base were the rest of our troup were. They opened the gates for us and we walked in. This base wasn't big, but there were plenty of people inside. We found our troup and Riley spotted us and sighed. He had become the leader of our troup after crowning himself.

«Hey, long time, no see!», I greeted him and he just stood there looking at the three of us in disbelief. He probably thought we were dead.

«Shane, you have to go see a doctor», Amanda said and looked at me with worried eyes. Riley stepped forward and knocked me down. I heard Simon gasp and Amanda wail. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt both Thomas and Riley breaking my bones by hitting and kicking. I tried to hit back, but I couldn't move my arms.

I heard someone firing, but no scream. Everyone went silent and I closed my eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

_Amanda_

Everything had gone so fast. They had made Riley and Thomas stop, but Shane looked vulnerable and beaten. I fell down to my knees beside him. He was still breathing. Then some doctors came and picked him up. I didn't know where they were going to take him, or if I would ever see my dearest Shane again.

_Shane_

I woke up in a hospital. There were blinding lights and a white room. White room? There were no white rooms in Afghanistan. Every room was muddy and filled with dying people. A doctor and a nurse came to stand with my bed.

«He's awake», the nurse said and looked at me.

«He should be. He's been in a coma for about 13 days», the doctor said. 13 days? Coma?  
«Ungh», I mumbled. I tried to say something, but I did no longer remember what it was.

«Shane Collins, one of the bravest soldiers in the war, all time», the doc said and smiled at me. The memories suddenly fell down on me. Amanda, Simon, the desert, the fights, all the people I had killed... Where was I?

«Where am I?», I asked with a sleepy voice.

«In the USA», the nurse answered. I was home... Kinda. Geeze, I was back!

«Do... Do I have to go back?», I stammered. The doctor smiled warmly at me.

«I'm afraid you can't. Even if you wanted to. You have a broken arm and a disabled foot», the doctor said. I leant back in the comfy hospital bed and sighed in relief. Then I realized I had a «disabled foot» I looked down and saw two feet.

«Ah, it's just broken. It'll be okay. You're still in one piece», the doctor said and blinked.

«Yey. Can I please go home?», I asked and thought of Claire, Zoe and Michael and Eve. The thought of Claire in my arms again made my eyes water. I was alive, and I was guranteed to see my little baby girl and my girlfriend again.

«Yes, of course. You have a plane ticket to Morganville, New Jersey in two days. We are going to run a few tests today and tomorrow and then you'll be ready to leave», the doctor said. I was able to call home, but I wanted to make it a surprise. I could almost smell Claires perfume and feel the weight of Zoe in my arms. She was about 8 months year old now. I was going to see them again, and I was incredibly happy.

_Claire_

The TV was turned on and Michael played on his guitar while singing a song for Zoe and Eve chatted on her phone about mindless stuff that Claire didn't really care about. She was making dinner for the three of them and warmed some baby food for Zoe. Todays meal was spaghetti bolognese. She realized that they no longer had spaghetti sauce and sighed.

_«_Erhm, guys? I'm going out to buy some sauce», she shouted and pulled on her jacket.

«Be careful», Michael replied and Claire nodded and went outside. She heard Michael starting to play the song again and Zoes cute laughter. She smiled and started Eves car. She drove to the closest shop and found sauce, baby food and toilet paper. A grown up shopping tour, Claire thought to her self as she went to pay for it all.

When she came home, Michael was putting Zoe to bed and Eve was finishing the spaghetti.

«I have sauce!», she shouted and got inside. Eve smiled and Claire tossed the sauce to her. She catched it and started mixing it.

«Zoe wants you to tell her a nighttime story», Michael said as he came downstairs. Claire sighed and rolled her eyes, but she smiled. She actually loved to sit down with Zoe and tell her stories from her fairytale book.

«I'll be back in 15 minutes. I bet she's tired after Michael musical, so she won't be awake for so long», Claire said and smiled before she walked upstairs. Zoe sat in her bed waiting for her and she had her story book in her hands. It was so cute that Claire went to the girly «Awww» face and scooped her up.

«What story are we reading then, angel?», Claire asked. She often called Zoe angel, cause Shane had used to do that. Zoe pointed on the princess on the cover of the book. Claire smiled down at her.

«Good choice, Little Angel Princess is my favorite too», she said and started to read the story with a soft baby voice.

After a while, Zoe fell asleep in her arms. Claire put away the story book and went to tuck her in in her crib.

When she came down, the others were eating already.  
«No one waits for me?», Claire whined with a funny voice.

«Nah, you were off in fantasy land, and we didn't know which number to call», Eve replied and took a new mouthfull of spaghetti. Michael smiled and took a sip from his sports bottle. Claire giggled and took a plate and sat down at her spot with the table. The chair next to her, was empty. It was Shanes chair.

«Do you think he'll come back?», Claire asked quietly and looked down at her finger with the ring on. None of them answered, and they ate quietly for a while.

«We haven't heard anything from him, Claire... You need to accept that he might not come back», Michael said with a small voice. She shook her head.

«I can't Michael. I'm not sure if I can live without him», Claire said with a broken voice. Her eyes felt all teary now. Eve scooted over on Shanes chair and hugged her. She realized she was crying, and it felt reliefing. She hadn't allowed herself to cry in months, and all the pain of Shane being away was suddenly on her crashing her world.

«Way to go, Michael!», Eve said angrily and tried to sooth Claire. Michael just looked down and looked sad. He wasn't sorry for what he said, he was sorry for the truth behind it.

«No, he's right. Even if he'd gone, I have to stay strong for Zoe», Claire said and wiped her tears. She felt so weak and vulnerable annd it was awful not to have Shane with her.

«If you guys don't mind, I'll have to go get some sleep. I'm exhausted», she said and smiled sadly at her friends. Michael and Eve just nodded and looked down at their plates.

_Eve_

When Claire was upstairs and had shut her door, I looked up at Michael.  
«I'm worried about her», I said and took his hand. He squeezed my hand and looked at me.

«Me too, but like she said... She has Zoe, therefore, she can't give up», Michael said and looked down at our hands.

«Honestly, Michael, do you think he'll come back?», I asked with a worried voice. Michael looked up at me again with teary eyes.

«No», he whispered quietly and a tear rolled down his cheek.


	12. Chapter 12

_Shane_

The tests had gone well, and the plane was about to land in Texas and I would be home in less than an hour. Home with Claire and Zoe... If she still loves you, a voice in my head said. Had she got tired of waiting for me and maybe found another dude? I threw the thought away. Claire loved me, and I loved her. Even though she was way out of my league, she still loved me, and that wouldn't change. I was sure about that.

The plane parked and everyone got out. I didn't have anything but the suitcase with me, so I could just get in the bus. I chose a window seat and settled down. Soon I would be home and I would see Claire, feel her lips pressed against mine... So soon, I just had to wait for less than an hour now. It was about 3 p.m and that meant that I would get the whole evening with Eve, Michael, Claire and Zoe when I got home. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes. I was still wearing the uniform, but it was clean. I could walk properly, cause my foot was fixed up and my arm was okay, but I had broken a few fingers. I had been gone for almost a year now, and I hadn't been able to contact my friends because there hadn't been time. After about thirty minutes, the bus started and I fell asleep in my seat.

I must have slept the whole ride, cause I woke up when someone announced that we were with in Morganville, or more with the barrier. I grinned and picked up my suitcase and walket out of the bus and stopped with the barrier. If I went in now, I couldn't go outside again. I didn't hestitate for more than a second before I thought of Claire and Zoe. I shrugged and walked inside Morganville, the city of Doom.

After walking for 10 minutes, I saw the Glass house. I walked faster, cause soon I would be home. I walked up the three step stair and knocked on the door. I heard Claire shout that she was opening. I took a deep breath and I heard the door click and open.

She covered her mouth with her hand and looked at me. She was crying when she jumped at me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and kissed the top of her head again and again while crying.

«I thought I would never see you again», Claire sobbed and hugged me even tighter. I burried my face in her hair, and it smelled so good, safe and... Home. I pulled a little away so I could kiss her, but before I could bend down, she went up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine. I dropped my suitcase and wrapped my arms around her while kissing her back.

«Claire, what's taking so...», Eve asked, but she just gasped. I tried to stop kissing Claire, so I could say hello, but I couldn't. Tears were streaming down Claires face as she pulled a few inches away. She put a palm on my face gently and looked me in the eyes. My Claire... I was home, with her and everything was going to be okay. I kissed Claires cheek and pulled away, but not moving my arms away.

«Michael, get your ass out here!», I shouted. Michael came running and looked at me in disbelief.

«Geeze, man! You're here!», Michael shouted back and highfived me. We shared a manly hug and grinned at eachother. Eve hugged me too while crying and sobbing that they thought they had lost me. I felt loved, really. No other words or expressions.

I turned to Claire and kissed her again. I could never get tired of kissing her, and my lips craved to be pressed against hers. I had no choice to obey my craves, of course.

«Where's Zoe?», I asked and touched Claires cheek gently. She smiled and took my hand. We walked into the kitchen and there she was. She sat on the floor playing with a doll. Claire walked and scooped her up.

«Hi, sweetie, come see daddy», Claire said with an adorable baby voice. Zoe looked at me with confused eyes. She didn't know who I was. I felt my heart break a little, but I didn't blame her. Babies couldn't remember that. Zoe reached her hand out and pointed at me.

«Dada», she gurgled. I smiled at her and Claire handed her over. I held her gently in my arms and kissed her forehead. She could be held properly now, because of the muscles in her neck. She put her small hands on my chest, just like a hug. I stroke my hand over her back and kissed her forehead again.

«My little angel», I whispered and smiled at her. Claire smiled through her tears and I put one arm around her and kissed her while I held Zoe.

_Claire_

Shane was alive. He was actually alive, and even better, he was home. She kissed him again, and hoped this wasn't a dream. It was real, and Shane was actually there. Everyone had settled in the living room and she had Zoe on her lap and Shane had her arm around her while talking about how it had been in Afghanistan. She loved feeling him close again, and it felt like they've been apart for thosands of years. He told about a girl named Amanda and a boy named Simon and how they had saved him. She became a little jealous of this Amanda girl, but it faded away when she saw hoe Shane looked at her. They're relationship was still strong, if not stronger than ever. Exactly the opposite of what Amelie wanted, but none of that mattered anymore. Shane was back and he was okay.

After many hours of talking, they decided to call it night. Zoe had fallen asleep in Shanes lap and he carried her upstairs. Claire followed and she showed him Zoes new room. Michael had helped setting it up while Shane had been gone and it was next to the bathroom. It wasn't a proper room, because Shane and Claire had thought of moving out. It was Zoes crib, the toys that weren't downstairs and a bookshelf with storybooks in it. They tucked Zoe into her little crib and walked hand in hand to Claires room. Shane kissed her and went to take a shower. He surely hadn't had a real shower in a long time. Claire changed the sheets on her bed and laid down.

_Shane_

I searched for my cologne, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Weird. I thought I had put it in the closet where me and Michael kept our stuff, but nope.

«Claire, where's my cologne?», I asked while wrapping a towel around my waist. She didn't answer, so I walked into her room.

«Uhm...», she muttered and tossed the cologne to me. I catched it in the air, but it was empty.

«Seriously, Claire? You used my cologne?! Why?», I asked and laughed. She blushed.

«I just missed you. I sprayed my pillows and...», she started. I blinked at her and went back to the bathroom and put on my clothes. I walked back to Claires room and got in bed with her.

«Mind if I stay the night?», I asked softly and touched her hair.

«I would mind if you didn't», she replied and kissed me. I had her in my arms, and we were both safe. I closed my eyes and focused on hearing our breaths. Claire buried her face in my chest and I kissed the top of her head.

«You really need to shave», she murumured into my chest. I grinned down at her. I didn't have much beard, not at all. I shaved when I was in the hospital. I kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. I needed her, now. I kissed her lips passionately. She wrapped her arms around my neck and started kissing me.

«I love you», I murmured. She smiled while kissing me and everything felt like the «old days.» I was in the middle of kissing her neck and cheek when Zoe started crying. We groaned and looked at eachother.

«I'll take her», I said and got out of bed. I walked into Zoes room and scooped her up. She smiled at me. She had three teeths now and she was adorable. She put her hand on my chest like she had done before I left. Listening carefully to my heartbeat. I poked her nose and smiled down at her. I tucked her gently into her crib again, but she reached her hands out for me and cried. I sighed and scooped her up again.

«You wanna sleep with mommy and daddy?», I asked and grinned at her. She smiled her almost toothless smile at me and I carried her into Claires room. Claire looked a little disapointed, so I kissed her cheek and gave her a quick hug. We both smiled down at our beautiful daughter and cuddled her while she giggled. After a while we fell asleep, with Zoe in the middle and me and Claire on the sides. Ready to protect her and take care for her for the rest of our lives.

_The end _

**Do you want more of Zoe, Claire and Shane? I'm planning a «book 2» of this fanfiction! It should be out soon. It's gonna be called «Morganville Vampires _Changed_», for those who are interested!**

**Thanks for reading! I love reviews too, but my posts doesn't depend on how many reviews I get. I write because it's fun :)**


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